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    Marco Rubio is promoting troubling ideas about ‘Western civilization’ | Ted Widmer

    In a recent visit to Greece, the secretary of state suggested that Europe must rediscover the values of conquest and expansionThey had obviously worked hard on the backdrop – and it was magnificent. On 7 October, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, delivered a major speech in Athens, outdoors, with the Acropolis behind him. The sun was setting, bathing the ancient scene, including the Parthenon, in the light of the golden hour.The golden hour, but yet not quite the golden age. This was not Pericles defending democracy. Instead, Rubio offered a haunting vision of the choices facing the west, arguing that the US and Europe must rediscover the values of exploration and conquest that once drove centuries of expansion, or face decline and irrelevance. Continue reading… More

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    Trump and Rubio weigh firing Kimberly Guilfoyle after reports of improper conduct

    Senior official says president and US secretary of state are ‘extremely pissed off’ by conduct of US envoy to GreeceDonald Trump and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, are considering firing US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after a series of reports alleging she has engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens.A senior US official said Sunday that Trump and Rubio are “extremely pissed off” by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and would likely decide on what action to take this week after Monday’s federal holiday. Continue reading… More

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    Abdul El-Sayed: Democrats must ‘win by massive numbers’ to fend off Trump election denial

    Democratic Senate candidate’s remarks come as Trump has long baselessly claimed his 2020 election loss was stolenDemocrats must “win by massive numbers” during November’s federal midterm elections because Donald Trump and his Republican allies are bound to try to sow doubt about the integrity of the results, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan said on Sunday.El-Sayed’s comments on NBC’s Meet the Press came with the Democrats favored to win control of the House of Representatives during the 3 November midterms – and polls show that the party could also win Senate seats in states that traditionally elect Republicans and gain a majority there, too. Continue reading… More

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    The Guardian view on the US, Russia and the international criminal court: Trump’s assault on the rule of law intensifies | Editorial

    A fuel deal with Vladimir Putin, and sanctions against the legal institution, ram home the president’s belief that might is rightOn Friday, Donald Trump drove home his belief that might is right and the rule of law is an obstacle rather than an essential foundation stone of international order. First came the escalated assault on the international criminal court (ICC), sanctioning the body itself. Then he announced a deal with Russia to buy diesel.The US has long chafed at the notion of being bound by the rule of law that it espoused publicly. That hypocrisy now appears as a lesser vice. The president has declared that “my own morality” is all that constrains him. His brazen flouting of the law, embrace of dictators and rhetorical attacks all undermine global standards.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading… More

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    Trump’s deal with Putin will have little impact on US diesel prices, experts say

    Analysts say fuel will take weeks to ship and quantity is too small to affect prices, while full deal is unlikely to be met given damage to Russian refineriesTrump announces partial ceasefire but Zelenskyy says deal is ‘news to me’Donald Trump’s deal with Vladimir Putin to temporarily lift sanctions on US imports of Russian diesel will have little “meaningful” effect on motorists and businesses in the US and overseas, energy and foreign policy analysts have predicted.The US president infuriated Volodymyr Zelenskyy when he announced the deal on Friday, writing on Truth Social that the agreement with his Russia counterpart to supply millions of tonnes of diesel was essential to reduce fuel prices in the US, which have soared after his decision to go to war against Iran. Continue reading… More

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    ICE agent strikes man with vehicle during pursuit in Texas, officials say

    Parra-Hernandez suffered a broken leg and taken to a hospital after being hit by car during an ICE operationAn Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent driving a vehicle struck a man on Saturday while trying to pursue him and someone else in the Houston area, according to authorities.The federal agency had been trying to pull over and arrest Jose Mendoza-Cervantes in north-west Harris county, Texas, when he and the victim, Miguel Parra-Hernandez, exited the vehicle, officials said. Continue reading… More

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    Trump urges John Fetterman to switch parties: ‘I’d love to see him as a Republican’

    Comments were among the most direct overtures by Trump to woo Democratic senator into his Republican partyDonald Trump on Saturday openly encouraged Democratic US senator John Fetterman to switch parties and become a Republican just weeks before the federal midterm elections could reshape control of Congress.“I’d love to see him as a Republican,” the presidents told reporters at Joint Base Andrews as he returned to Washington DC from a rally in Tennessee. “He does better as a Republican than he does as a Democrat.”Guardian staff contributed reporting Continue reading… More

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    Physicians’ group calls for ban on raw milk – as it’s becoming increasingly popular in the US

    As raw milk industry experiences record growth, experts say it might contain pathogens that can sicken peopleAs raw milk becomes increasingly popular among Americans, there have been several recent disease outbreaks tied to the product, alarming public health officials.Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics called for a ban on sales of unpasteurized milk in the United States. Continue reading… More